On actual golf course fairways, balls normally do not rest right on the firm ground, the so-called "turf". They are supported on a layer of soft, mowed grass extending above the ground/turf. Therefore, with practice, golfers can learn how to properly align and stabilize their body posture and swing arc, so that their club head will swing amply down to a little below the bottom of a ball, but then encounter very little additional resistance as it passes through just the grass layer between the ball and the ground/turf. Being able to swing this way is especially advantageous to the many recreational golfers of modest strength (such as many women and seniors), who can not always swing accurately and powerfully enough to overcome the frictional "drag" and compressive resistances imposed on a club head when it digs into, and takes an actual "divot" out of the ground.
All prior art golf practice mats support a golf ball be hit, but unlike real grass, do not provide for a zone of negligible friction and compression resistance between the bottom of the ball and an underlying base. All such mats, including some more recent ones designed to better simulate the particular frictional drag and compressive resistances felt when one swings a club so as to purposely take a divot out of natural ground/turf, appreciably resist any movement of a club head below the bottom of the ball, and usually two planes: (1) horizontally/forward as the club head encounters some very perceptible sliding/rubbing friction from synthetic fibers which extend from the mat's top layer, and which necessarily must be much tougher and more durable than flimsy, but self-renewing natural grass; and (2) vertically/downward as the club head compresses/flexes the top layer and/or its supporting means.
The general object of the present invention is to provide an affordable golf swing practice mat that will support a ball, but will not appreciably resist a club head's movement somewhat below the bottom of the ball in either the horizontal or vertical planes. Thus, to a golfer making a fluid, reasonably well-aligned and stabilized swing with a club, it will feel almost completely non-resistant, like swinging the club through natural, mowed, fairway grass alone, and will not require or prompt the golfer to grip the club tighter, and/or swing it more "forcibly", in order to needlessly also take a divot out of natural ground/turf.
Besides helping golfers practice and learn how to make effective, fluid, no-divot swings, such a mat will be more "user friendly", i.e. it will not jolt and punish golfers like either natural turf or prior art mats for small errors made while learning how to stabilize one's body posture and swing arc alignment and depth. For experienced golfers, it will substantially eliminate the repetitive impact shocks produced by typical range mats, that can cause tendon and joint problems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a practice mat that will visually guide golfers as they work to master basic golf-swing techniques which promote the execution of swing-arcs that not only extend to the requisite depth, but also are tangent to the intended flight line, are favorably oriented to a ball's position relative to their stance center, and bottom out ahead of their stance center.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a practice mat that will give helpful feedback to golfers on how well they are accomplishing the previously-described, aligned-swing-arc end-results, i.e., to show them what aspect(s) of their executed swing-arc alignment, if any, they will need to adjust through technique improvements.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a practice mat for accomplishing the preceding basic swing learning/practicing objects - both without and with an actual golf ball in place to hit, to show golfers whether and how their executed swing-arc alignment may be changing for actual ball strikes, versus preparatory practice swings.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a single golf swing practice mat that can be used with either irons or fairway woods, is simple and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and is light and portable, so it can be used directly on various available surfaces, e.g. golf practice ranges offering either natural grass or range mats, one's own back yard--without damaging the lawn grass, or inside one's house on a carpet or floor--without damaging either.